Psychodynamic Theory

Psychodynamic Theories Recall that PD theories believe unlocking the unconscious mind is key to understanding human behaviour This idea was based off of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical theory States that human behaviour is influenced by early childhood & those childhood experiences influence the unconscious mind t/out our lives Key Terms Unconscious Information the mind processes that we are unaware of Conscious Information the mind processes that we are aware of

Human Consciousness: According to Sigmund Freud Consciousness consisted of 3 parts; id, ego, superego Id: operates in the unconscious lvl, based on instincts (“pleasure principle”) Ego: rational part of the mind operates on conscious/preconscious lvl (“reality principle”) Superego: operates on all levels & is our morality ID EGO SUPEREGO

Freud’s Principles of Consciousness If the mind had it’s way, ALL humans would act according to the will of the id and the pleasure principle We would seek to fulfil our biological/physiological needs/desires; hunger, thirst, warmth, affection (sex), and anger The ego hwr, operates under the reality principle which states that ppl cannot fulfill all urges (some urges need to be supressed) Think about each aspect as having a role or function to perform Id – only purpose is pleasure Ego – limits the actions of the id Superego – represents the morals/standards of society presented by an individuals parents/society The mind is like a battleground b/w the id & the superego both of whom attempt to convince the ego to let them have their way Go to video Psychology 1.1

Freud & Defence Mechanisms Human mind uses defence mechanisms to distort reality in order to deal w/ the anxiety caused by suppressing urges Ego protects us from harmful/unacceptable feelings/memories 3 Types of Anxiety Neurotic anxiety – unconscious worry that we will lose control of the id’s urges (fear of punishment) Reality anxiety – fear of real-world events (dog bite) Moral anxiety – fear of violating own moral principles 8 Defence Mechanisms Denial, displacement, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, regression, repression, & sublimation You will investigate these & their differences later

How Freud Studied Freud wanted to uncover these repressed feelings/memories so ppl could gain personal insight Freud analyzed his patients through psychoanalysis Patients discussed; Dreams /fantasies: thought to be reflections of the unconscious mind Free association: relaxation techniques used & patient discusses anything that comes to mind Child-Parent relationships: explored childhood experiences to link to current behaviours

Freud’s Stages of Personality Development StageAgeMajor Characteristics Oral Birth to 18months Interest in oral gratification from sucking, eating, mouthing, biting Anal 12m to 3 yrs Gratification from expelling & withholding feces while coming to terms with toilet training Phallic 3 to 6 yrs Interest in the genitals Coming to terms with the Oedipus complex, leading to identification with same-sex parent Latency 5 yrs to adolescence Sexual concerns largely important Genital Adolescence to adulthood Re-emergence of sexual interests & establishment of mature sexual relationships Oedipus complex – the tendency of a son to be attracted to his mother & oppose his father OR a daughter to be attracted to her father & oppose her mother Freud claimed people develop through five stages

Human Consciousness: According to Carl Jung Human psyche is composed of 2 parts; conscious & unconscious Together they create our motivation Balancing the psyche allows ppl to reach their full potential PPL are not driven by Freud’s pleasure principle Unconscious composed of 2 parts; personal unconscious & the collective unconscious

Carl Jung’s Unconscious Mind Collective Unconscious Personal Unconscious Contains urges, instincts, memories from our ancestors Shared ideas by ALL human beings (regardless of culture) Some symbols & images appear over & over again Called these archetypes Could be models of people, behaviours, or personalities Believed all ppl were born w/ these archetypes in our unconscious mind Unique to every individual

Archetypes Connect us to images & emotions “Mother” is an archetype connected to ideas of nurturing & soothing “Father” connected to stern, powerful, controlling “Hero” an archetype that is brave & courageous We feel emotionally connected to these images which suggests they are deeply engrained in our psyche Archetypes influence our thoughts, feelings & build our personality Video 1.3

Archetypes Connect us to images & emotions “Mother” is an archetype connected to ideas of nurturing & soothing “Father” connected to stern, powerful, controlling “Hero” an archetype that is brave & courageous We feel emotionally connected to these images which suggests they are deeply engrained in our psyche Archetypes influence our thoughts, feelings & build our personality Personality is built off of how we fit archetypes into our lives We will examine personality thoroughly later in the unit Video 1.3

Karen Horney & the neo-Freudians Modern developmental psychologists do not believe development is limited to childhood experiences Development is lifelong Neo-Freudians do believe in psychoanalysis as a method to unlock the unconscious mind Karen Horney accepted MOST of Freud’s theory of the mind but didn’t like 2 aspects 1. she believed personality is NOT influenced by sexual conflicts in childhood 2. Women were not represented in Freud’s theories

Feminist Psychology Horney argued that Women were pushed by society & culture to depend on men for both love & status, w/out a husband & children, women had little value in society Feminist Psychology deals w/ gender bias & issues specifically related to women during their lifetime Her work on neurotic disorders are renown & contradict some of Freud’s beliefs about anxiety/fear